Family and School Influence on the Educational Goals of Working-Class and Middle-Class Tenth-Grade Boys. Final Report.

Wallin, Paul; And Others

The objectives of this investigation were: (1) to explain why some high school boys are strongly committed to a college education and others are not; (2) to consider and clarify important issues involved in the shaping of boys' educational goals; and (3) to assess the accuracy of data on goal determinants that is provided by boys' reports. Some 1,600 tenth grade boys attending eight high schools served as subjects. Data were collected from them by means of two questionnaires, 277 sets of parents were interviewed, and additional information about the boys was secured from their counselors and school records. The findings on the influence of school and family attest to the power of the family in the shaping of the boys' educational goals; however, there was little consistent association between the social class composition of their schools and the boys' goals. (Author/ED)